Many of Astrid Lindgren's works have been translated into over 50 different languages. How does each translation correspond to the original version and each other?

There are two different English translations, one published by British publishers, the other one published by North American publishers. For instance, Mardie's Adventure (British version) and Mischievous Meg (American version) differ in many important details:

(The following examples were researched and presented by Karin Elfsberg)

• In the American version, "Meg" is for some reason transformed from a seven- year-old girl into a ten-year-old girl. This leads to a few problems when the book describes Megs first time at school, when she learns the alphabet, how to read, etc. Transform this to a girl aged 10!
• Another example is when Mardie/Meg tells her little sister morbid, exciting things in the evenings. Lisbet wants Mardie to tell her "about ghosts and murderers and war". Kids love morbid subjects like that, but the american translator obviously finds it too bad, he transforms it into "ghosts and robbers". It is a fact that the book takes place during world war I, so it is not so strange that the children talk about the war.
• British version: "...but Mr Nilsson was asleep on the kitchen sofa. -He s probably drunk," said Mardie, "he usually is on Saturdays."
  American version: "...but Mr. Nilsson was lying on the sofa, sleeping.-What a lazy man!" Meg said.
• About the songs that the cleaning lady sings:
  British version: "All Ida's songs were equally sad. The mothers did nothing but die, and the fathers were always down at the pub, drinking, until the children died too. Then the fathers went home and cried and were dreadfully sorry and promised never to drink again...but it was too late!"
  American version: "All Ida's songs were just as sad. The mothers all died, and the fathers neglected the children until the children all died too. Then the fathers went home and cried bitterly and were sorry for what they had done and promised never to do it again. But by then it was too late."
• This story also illustrates an example of the differences in the language. The British version is much more like A.L s style of writing, a kind of spoken language, a master story-teller. You can really hear Astrid's voice reading her story. An example - The very beginning of the book:
  British version: "Mardie lived outside a small Swedish town in a big, red house, down by a stream. Mama and Papa and little sister Elizabeth and a black poodle called Sasso and a kitten called Goodie lived there too. And so did Alma."
  American version: "Meg lived in a big red house down by a river in Sweden. Her family consisted of her mother, her father, her little sister Elizabeth, a black poodle named Sasso, a kitten called Gosan, and Alva."

The French version of Pippi Longstocking also differs from the original:

(The following has been researched and reported by Christin Gahnström)

• "... Did you know that the french translation of Pippi Longstocking has cut one third of the original script? The translator removed all the parts when Pippi lies or is being rude to grown-ups ( basicly all the funny parts in the book). The translator has also added things to the story when s/he thought it necessary. When Pippi finally is allowed to say something cheeky, she actually apologizes! And as if that weren┤t enough, the translator wrote to Astrid Lindgren asking her if s/he could change Pippi's horse into a pony, because, s/he said, French children are much more realistic than Swedish, they wouldn't believe that a nine-year-old girl could lift a horse. Mrs. Lindgren replied that it was fine with her if he'd only send her a picture of a small girl lifting a pony. I'm not quite sure, but I think there is another translation on its way..."

The above examples and more are also discussed by Eva-Maria Metcalf in her book on Astrid Lindgren (for more information on this book, please refer to the references page). For instance,

• "...[in the North American translations] The language is also 'cleaned up'. This leads to such oddities as Lindgren's aside to readers of Emil's Pranks that she does not want to teach them more shocking words than they already know, after Alfred, the farmhand, has just uttered the word 'codswallop'. A closer equivalent to the Swedish det skiter vi i would be 'bullshit', a word that despite the author's excuses was most likely considered improper." (p. 33)
• "...To illustrate how tone and voice lose intensity in the American translation, I have chosen one of many possible examples from Mischievous Meg to compare with its British counterpart, Mardie's Adventures.... When Meg's (Mardie's) mother, while talking to the teacher, finds out that her daughter has invented naughty Richard to put herself in a better light, the narrator in the British translation describes Mardie's reaction: 'Oh, how she missed Richard, now he had gone!'....The American translation, on the other hand, is comparatively flat:'Meg was already missing Richard terribly.'" (p. 36)
• "...Emphatic repetition is another of Lindgren's stylistic trademarks. After the shock of believing her sister captured by a slave trader -- the result of a game of make-believe -- Meg is overjoyed to have her sister back again: 'Oh, everything was perfect! Meg was so happy that Betsy was her sister and was lying there, safe at home and not in some miserable slave-dealer's power'.... The British version is again more emphatic and much closer to the original: 'Oh, how lovely everything was, thought Mardie. She was happy, happy, happy because Lisbet was lying there and was her sister and in Junedale, not in the power of some wicked slave-trader'." (pp. 36)